Prompt 4
Foster states that “reading is an event of the imagination… a reader’s imagination is the act of one creative intelligence engaging another (the writer’s). The writer's job is to create a story to make the reader see past the words on the pages and to open doors to a new place . Imagination occurs here when the writer describes the plot, the characters, and the scene. Here the readers are able to take themselves out of reality and step foot into a whole new world. Foster states that “So what did you think the devil would look like? If he were red with a tail, horns, and cloven hooves, any fool could say no.” The unique thing about the reader's imagination is each reach and even the writer could have imaged a character or or scene to look a different way. Have you ever read a book and then watched the movie and the main character looked nothing like you thought it would or maybe they actually looked exactly what you imagined? The relationship between the reader and the writer is in a way like the circle of life. The writer has to get inspiration from somewhere and most likely it is from reading another writer’s work and using the their imagination to write a somewhat similar story.
Ahh yes! And Nabokov will tell us this very thing too! I like the image of the circle of life. It might also connect with the "Over-Soul."
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Through reading multiple genres, I have discovered that it is easier for me to create a mental picture of science fiction/fantasy books. In my experience these are titles like Harry Potter, The Hobbit, and The Hunger Games. I like your “circle of life” idea because it provides evidence as to why I can see these books so clearly. I wonder if the authors were inspired by each other as many of the books have similar components, and themes. Some say the easiest way to master something is through repetition. If this is the case, reading these comparable components among multiple texts may give readers the opportunity to make similar connections, as a result, see similar elements.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your point on how different people will see scenes and characters differently, and I agree that writers certainly get inspiration from other writers for their work. As Foster said, most of our literature is based off other literature. Take for example J.R. Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings novels, Tolkien’s descriptions of the elves and dwarves has essentially set a standard for future fantasy writers. Also, J.K Rowling’s success with Harry Potter has encouraged many more books about a young boy or girl in sub-par conditions being whisked away to a magical new school or place where they find out they are special. It is certainly true that authors borrow off other authors to create new stories.
ReplyDeleteImagination occurs when a reader perceives what a writer has displayed. Being able to read a book and being able to understand it is one thing, but being able to step inside a book and feel it for yourself is something completely different. Whenever I read books I always visualize what is happening. Have these vivid images can sometimes be disspointing when I see the film adaptation. I like how you describe the “circle of life” because in a sense a story has to always come full circle. Each story takes us to places we could never be able to see for ourselves, and through epic story telling we get to experience it.
ReplyDeleteI understand your point on imagining a character different than how they are portrayed in a movie. For example, when I first read the Harry Potter books, I had imagined Harry to be taller than he was when played by Daniel Radcliffe. It can be disappointing to see that a character is different than you had thought because the book doesn't feel as personal as it had been before. Also, to use Harry Potter again and go off of Ethan's comment, I feel that the books have in fact inspired more books of the same idea. This shows just how many books have borrowed plots with changed elements.
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